


Small peppers are cuter

by mimiberii



Category: Produce 101 (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M, Sickfic, Stomach Ache, everyone thinks he’s adorable, suhwan is very flustered, super special girl team, they also won’t stop teasing him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 15:29:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19833115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimiberii/pseuds/mimiberii
Summary: Suhwan frowns and folds his arms, attempting to look intimidating. If Yuvin were here, he’d probably ruffle his hair and call him adorable again. But despite his un-intimidating appearance, Suhwan is far from weak. If he can handle being on the same team as Yuvin three times in a row with his constant coddling, and annihilate a (much taller) opponent in an arm wrestle, thengod damnithe’s going to make his hyung tell him what’s wrong.orSuhwan notices that something is off with Sihun, and it’s totally not because he has a crush.





	Small peppers are cuter

**Author's Note:**

> This is a strange pairing I know, but they’re my two favourites and I was so happy to see them in ssg together ;; also with a side dose of suhwan/yuvin bc they’re the cutest

Suhwan’s certain that something is wrong with Sihun during rehearsal. It’s not overly obvious; the blond boy’s choreography is executed immaculately as always, and he’s adorning his usual dimpled smile. But there’s a certain sluggishness to his movements once the music stops, and a sickly kind of dampness about his skin that Suhwan can’t exactly pinpoint. It’s most noticeable after the first run through of Super Special Girl, when the group takes a break. Sihun is usually talkative and cheerful, but today he’s sitting in the corner with an unreadable expression. 

“Yuvin-hyung,” Suhwan tugs at the sleeve of the group’s main vocal, his close friend (though he’d only admit it begrudgingly). “Is it just me or is there something off with Sihun-hyung today?” 

Yuvin shrugs. “Not really. He just seems a bit tired. We all are.”

“Something seems wrong though. His mood is strange and he looks kind of pale, don’t you think?” Yuvin ruffles Suhwan’s hair, and the smaller trainee bats the hand away, pouting. Yuvin always treats him like he’s a cute baby, but he refuses to be cute. He’s small, yes, but that doesn’t make him cute. Small peppers are spicier, after all. 

“Suhwanie~ you’re so cute when you’re worried,” Yuvin coos. “I didn’t realise you were paying so much attention to Sihun these days. I hope you’re not admiring him so much that you’re forgetting about me.”

“Hyung, stop!” Suhwan pushes Yuvin away, face reddening. “You’re embarrassing me.” 

It’s too late. Hyeonsu is already pinching at his cheeks. “Ooh, has our little Suhwanie got a crush?”

“Wha-no! Hyung!” Suhwan hisses, heat building internally. He breaks free and makes hasty steps towards the bathroom, the giggles of his team members echoing in the distance. A few minutes of peace would be well appreciated right now.

For all his teasing, though, Yuvin has a point, Suhwan realises as he slows to a stroll down the hallway. Up until the concept evaluations, Suhwan had never been on the same team as Sihun, let alone exchanged more than a passing greeting with him. Even now, although on friendly terms, and despite Sihun eagerly participating in the daily ‘let’s tease Suhwan for being cute’ ritual (he can’t believe that’s even a thing), they don’t know each other all that well. Yet Yuvin had a good point; Suhwan has to have been paying an awful lot of attention to Sihun to notice that something’s off about him. He can definitely admit to admiring Sihun’s dancing prowess in previous stages, and there were the times he noticed how cute Sihun acted around some of the other trainees, but _crush?_ Absolutely not.

As Suhwan re-enters the practice room, he notices that Sihun is still sitting by himself, studying the lyrics to Super Special Girl. He’s wincing slightly, an arm tucked close to his stomach, and there are visible beads of sweat under his bangs. 

“Hyung, are you okay?” Suhwan asks, approaching hesitantly.

Sihun immediately looks up and flashes his dimpled smile, all traces of discomfort vanishing, and reaches up to pat Suhwan’s arm reassuringly. “I’m fine, just resting.” 

Suhwan searches his expression for a good minute, lips pressed into a tight frown. But Sihun doesn’t budge despite Suhwan’s firm gaze. 

“If you say so, Hyung,” Suhwan finally replies, taking hesitant steps back towards the others.

The rest of practice goes without a hitch - well, apart from the relentless teasing about Suhwan’s “crush”, which much to his dismay has now spread to both Donghyun and Sunho. Sihun doesn’t miss a single step, but Suhwan does catch him hunching over briefly, hand pressed against his stomach again. He chooses not to say anything, deciding to resume his investigation later. 

The next red flag is Sihun declining Sunho’s offer to join everyone for dinner. It’s not that everyone from the team is together 24/7, but Sihun is one of the more sociable trainees in the group and his lack of enthusiasm is uncharacteristic.

“I’m not hungry,” Sihun says when Sunho invites him to dinner. “I’ll just stay here and practice.” 

Suhwan follows the others outside, glancing back over his shoulder. He’s determined to get to the bottom of this. 

“You’re coming with us, right Suhwanie?” Yuvin tugs at his arm with a pleading expression, like a huge puppy wanting attention. _This hyung is so pathetic_ , Suhwan thinks, but he can’t help but be endeared by his antics. To a certain extent.

“Actually... I have to uh.... call my family...” He hopes it sounds somewhat plausible. “They like checking up on me every so often,” he adds hastily.

“You’re so cute, Suhwanie. Such a good, filial son.” Yuvin teases, poking his cheek. Suhwan breaks free from his clingy hyung’s grasp, heading back towards the practice room, but he can’t help but feel his cheeks redden at Yuvin’s snide comment in the distance.

“He’s totally just saying that so he can go spy on you-know-who.”

As expected, when Suhwan pokes his head into the practice room, it’s completely deserted. _Practicing my ass._ The next destination is the dormitory. Suhwan has a hunch that’s where Sihun will be, as most of the trainees will be out and he’ll have plenty of privacy to deal with whatever’s bothering him. Sure enough, from outside Sihun’s shared room, he hears a series of quiet groans. He enters with light footsteps. It’s dark, and there’s nobody inside. Except for the lump under the covers on one of the top bunks making whimpering noises. Tentatively, Suhwan flicks the light switch on, and immediately the whimpering stops. Sihun’s startled face emerges from under the covers and Suhwan smiles at him sheepishly.

“Suhwanie? Didn’t you go have dinner with the others?”

“I decided to check on you, Hyung. I know something’s up with you.”

Sihun forces a weak dimpled smile. “I’m fine.”

“Then why are you in bed instead of practicing like you said you would?” Suhwan frowns and folds his arms, attempting to look intimidating. If Yuvin were here, he’d probably ruffle his hair and call him adorable again. But despite his un-intimidating appearance, Suhwan is far from weak. If he can handle being on the same team as Yuvin three times in a row with his constant coddling, and annihilate a (much taller) opponent in an arm wrestle, then _god damnit_ he’s going to make his hyung tell him what’s wrong. 

Sihun’s smile falters, making way for guilt as Suhwan narrows his eyes in suspicion. “Really Suhwanie... don’t worry...” he mumbles, averting his gaze. 

“Hyung!” Suhwan frowns, hauling his tiny frame up the ladder to the top bunk. “I’m not leaving until you tell me.”

Sihun sits up abruptly, as if he’s trying to hide the fact he was curled up in the fetal position a moment ago. But Suhwan isn’t fooled; his hyung is even more pale and lethargic-looking up close, with an unfamiliar dullness in his eyes. 

“I just have a bit of a stomach ache,” Sihun finally admits, shifting uncomfortably. “Really, it’s noth-“ He cuts himself off with a groan, betrayed by a cramp that makes him squeeze his eyes shut and press a hand into his midsection. He swallows hard, laying down and curling up again in an attempt to lessen the pain. Suhwan can’t believe he’s still trying to play this off as nothing.

“Hyung, you look like shit.”

Sihun averts his gaze, eyes beginning to water. Suhwan instantly regrets his harsh words, not intending to hurt Sihun’s feelings. But when Sihun abruptly buries his face into Suhwan’s shoulder, almost bowling him over, Suhwan realises it’s got nothing to do with his word choice. He places a hand on Sihun’s back cautiously, panic beginning to set in when his hyung sniffles and begins to dampen his shoulder with tears. He feels awkward and helpless; he hadn’t anticipated this reaction at all he has no idea how to handle it.

“H-hyung?”

“It hurts so much.” Sihun’s voice wavers and Suhwan‘s stress levels skyrocket as he begins to wonder if it’s something serious. He‘s not equipped to deal with any kind of emergency. His eyes start to sting, and he realises he’s threatening tears himself.

“S-should I go get Sunho-hyung? Maybe he can give you medicine, o-or if we really need to we can call the hospital. Did you eat something bad? Wait, have you had your appendix out yet? Shit, we need to call the ambulance-“ Suhwan fumbles around in his pocket for his phone, already halfway through punching in ‘119’ when he feels a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Suhwanie, stop.” Sihun lifts his head from Suhwan’s shoulder. His eyes are still red and his cheeks damp, but the tiniest hint of a smile is tugging at his lips. “You’re so cute.”

“I-what?” _Cute?_ “But the hospital, we need to-“

“It’s not my appendix, Suhwanie. It’s probably just stress. I’m really nervous about the performance.”

“A-are you sure?” Suhwan is taken aback by how much his own voice is trembling; just how panicked had he been? He sheepishly slides his phone back into his pocket, face hot with embarrassment.

“Geez Suhwanie, I didn’t realise you cared about your hyung so much.” Sihun pinches his cheek, and Suhwan wipes the residual tears from his eyes, embarrassed to discover how wet his face is. On one hand, he’s glad that Sihun has stopped crying. On the other hand, he wants to sink into a hole and never show his face again. The thought of the other trainees hearing about his little... ‘episode’ is mortifying to say the least, especially if Yuvin finds out. He’ll never hear the end of it. 

“Sorry for worrying you though,” Sihun says softly. “I just... haven’t been feeling well all day but I didn’t want to ruin practice for you guys.” 

“I could tell something was wrong. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Sihun teases, lifting a finger to brush a stray tear from Suhwan’s cheek. Suhwan recoils back with a pout, offended that even his sick hyung is making jokes at his expense.

“But Hyung, what do you have to be nervous about, anyway? You were perfect in the rehearsal, and you’re such a good dancer,” Suhwan says, trying to change the subject to something less personally incriminating.

Sihun purses his lips into a slight pout, casting his gaze downwards. “I just really want to do well... But even if I do, I’m worried it won’t be enough.” 

Suhwan nods, finally understanding. “The elimination, right?” It’s something that’s been weighing heavily on his own mind, too. They’re both at the lower end of the rankings, and Suhwan would be lying if he said he wasn’t expecting the upcoming performance to be his last. He gently rests his hand of Sihun’s shoulder, trying to come up with the right words. “I understand how you feel, Hyung. I’m worried about the elimination too... but all you can do is your best, right? There are lots of fans who will love you regardless of what happens. Anyway, it’s not good to dwell on these things by yourself. That’s what your teammates are here for.”

“Thanks Suhwanie,” Sihun replies softly.

“So... are you feeling any better now?” Suhwan asks. Sihun rolls over onto his front with a pout, wrapped up in his blanket like an adorable burrito.

“Tummy still hurts,” he whines, burying his face into Suhwan’s lap. Suhwan’s breath hitches; he’s not used to this kind of aegyo from his hyung. Not directed towards him, at least. It’s sudden, especially after Sihun’s initial reluctance to even admit something was wrong. But he wonders if Sihun is feeling more comfortable around him now; it seems like he’s very cute and clingy once he finally relents. 

“Is it bad?” Sihun muffles a sulky noise into his lap that seems to suggest the affirmative. He sounds like a sad puppy. It’s pathetic. Pathetically cute, Suhwan’s inner voice adds, but he chooses to ignore it. 

“At least your cute little outburst earlier made me feel a bit better,” Sihun mumbles. 

Suhwan instantly flushes, pushing Sihun’s head off his lap. “O-outburst? I was just worried about you, okay. You scared me when you started crying.” His feels warmth building inside of him again. “A-and by the way, I’m not cute.”

“Sure.” Sihun’s signature dimpled smile is back, and Suhwan’s not sure if he’s relieved that Sihun is feeling okay enough to play around with him, or annoyed that he’s being made fun of yet again.

“Anyway,” Suhwan says, attempting to remove the spotlight from himself; he’s pretty sure he’s blushing now and he’s desperately hoping Sihun won’t notice. “Do you want me to get you medicine or a heat pack or something?”

“Stay with me, Suhwanie,” Sihun pouts pathetically, interlocking Suhwan’s fingers with his own. 

“Hyung, don’t be ridiculous. You need something for your stomach ache.” He can’t help but admit that seeing his hyung so clingy is cute. He’s spotted Sihun being affectionate with Hangyul and Donghyun and Eunsang of course, but he’d never imagined himself in this situation. Heck, he hadn’t even spoken to Sihun properly until a couple of weeks ago. 

“But you’re helping me feel better just by being your adorable self,” Sihun says, and Suhwan feels hot and dizzy. He’s definitely blushing again. Curse his hyung for being so cheesy.

“That’s totally not how it works. My presence isn’t going to do anything.”

Sihun meets his gaze with a cautious, yet hopeful expression. “Well... maybe if you rub my tummy... it might help me feel better.”

“Uh.” Suhwan pauses awkwardly, for what feels like a good minute. “Well, I guess... if you think that would help?” He’s taken aback by the request; Sihun’s willingness to trust him with something so intimate makes his head spin. 

Sihun rolls onto his back like a big puppy, sighing softly as he presses a hand to his stomach, attempting to soothe the ache. Suhwan gently pries Sihun’s fingers from where they’re tangled his shirt, replacing them with his own. Slowly, he begins to massage soft circles into his hyung’s stomach. The muscles are tense and clenched under his fingertips as he expected, and Sihun whines softly at the sensation. Suhwan finds his hand beginning to wander under the hem of Sihun’s shirt, stroking the soft skin of his torso. His hyung doesn’t object, so Suhwan continues the gentle motion until Sihun’s breathing begins to even out a bit. 

“Feeling any better?”

Sihun smiles, and Suhwan notices that his eyes have regained their usual sparkle. “Thanks to my Suhwanie.”

 _My Suhwanie?_ He silently wills his head to stop spinning. “I’m glad. Next time you’re stressed out you need to talk to me about it, Hyung. Don’t bottle it up or you’ll make yourself sick again.” He feels like a parent scolding his child, but really he’s only being harsh because it’s better than getting flustered again and embarrassing himself. He’s done far too much of that today.

“Thank you, Suhwanie,” Sihun replies. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.” 

Sihun makes a kissy face at him, and Suhwan’s first instinct is to bat his face away just like he’d seen Hangyul do once. But even so, he can’t stifle the small smile that creeps across his lips as he affectionately pushes his hyung away.


End file.
